Suzuki closes Japanese plants temporarily

Suzuki Motor Corp. has suspended operations at its Japanese plants until March 21 while the potential aftermath of the recent natural disasters are assessed.

American Suzuki Motor Corp. announced this in an open letter addressing its parent company's current status as a result of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last week. Suzuki Motor Corp. is based in Hamamatsu, Japan, which is about 160 miles south of Tokyo. In comparison, the earthquake epicenter is about 240 miles north of Tokyo.

"We can thankfully report that there is no reported harm to Suzuki's personnel, headquarters or manufacturing plants as a result of this devastating earthquake," according to the letter.

"Due to widespread power outages, communication from North America to Japan is currently difficult, but we will continue to report any additional information about how this will affect Suzuki's operations, vendors and suppliers in the affected areas," the letter said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire nation of Japan as they begin to assess the damage and rebuild their communities and landscape," the letter said.